Preston, ID

We did this a while ago, I didn't mean to be so slow posting it but here it is anyway.

At the beginning of April and October, the LDS church holds a general conference. It's two hours in the morning and afternoon, with two hours in between. We like to listen to it on the radio while we drive somewhere, this year we didn't really plan, we just got in the car and drove. We ended up in Preston, ID- which is where the movie Napoleon Dynamite takes place and was filmed.

The first thing we did when we got to town was hit up the DI, where Napoleon got his awesome suit. We couldn't quite find one that good.

Along main street we also saw the Cuttin Curral, and the studio he goes to for Karate.

There were some stores with Napoleon merchandise, we didn't buy anything, but it was fun to look.

We ate lunch at the New York Deli, it was really good sandwiches, right on main street as well.

We also went by the schools and the playground from the movie, and we were going to see Napoleon's house but ran out of time. Here is a map of the places you can see from the movie if you want to go explore as well. 

Texas Roadhouse

I have a few other date ideas that can be done anywhere but first- my husband's birthday dinner. I was surprised when he picked Texas Roadhouse because although I love steak, it's not really his thing (I think it was in part a favor to me). Texas Roadhouse in Idaho Falls is usually busy on the weekends but they have call ahead seating which helps but even if it's a spur of the moment thing like it was for us the wait wasn't too long. Once you get seated they have super good rolls (the picture really doesn't capture them) and peanuts to snack on.

We really enjoyed our meal, each meal comes with two sides so we could easily share them with our daughter. My husband doesn't like steak but he says Texas Roadhouse has some of the best chicken. He really liked it and I enjoyed the steak, it was even amazing as leftovers the next day.

Main Street Grill- Ririe

I am sorry I don't have pictures of this but the other night we went to Main Street Grill in Ririe. It is exactly where you would think- on Main Street, in Ririe. The burgers were really good and they are pretty reasonably priced. You can get it cheaper by not having fries with it, my husband and I were good with just getting one thing of fries to share. I had a chiken burger and it was such good chicken. It takes a little to get your food so if you don't have time to wait you can call ahead to order 208-538-6106.

Soda Springs, ID- Man-made Geyser

For those of you who follow this blog, you will notice that I haven't been posting every week. My goal was a year and I got almost there before my husband and I decided we want to repeat some things, we will be posting still whenever we do something new, which I hope will be pretty often.

On to last weekend! We went to Soda Springs. Each year the first weekend in October and April we listen on the radio to the LDS general conference which has two 2-hour sessions on Saturday with 2 hours in between. It is the perfect time to go explore somewhere new. Last Saturday we drove to Soda Springs, ID.

Soda Springs has a man-made geyser. It goes off every hour on the hour and the spray lasts about 7 minutes. It's not that exciting just to watch but if you are willing to deal with the sulfur smell you can get right up into the spray, which is really fun.

Between sprays we walked across the street to Main Street Diner- we weren't sure what we were going to think but the food was so good. My husband got hand battered chicken strips and I had a hamburger. It was a really good place to eat and the timing was perfect to go back across for the next hour's spray.

Further down Main Street they have a great park that we also stopped to play at. It seemed to have everything, swing sets with baby swings, merry-go-rounds, volleyball nets, basketball courts, a big gazebo. It was a fun place to stop and play too.

There are other historical parks and things throughout Soda Springs but we didn't take the time to go see them all. We really enjoyed our day, the drive was nice and the time there was really fun.

Also, as a note for an upcoming event, Events 4 Idaho has a short description of the Annual Chocolate Fest in Idaho Falls which will be held on October 22 this year.

Bisch's RV Challenege- Free Dinner

Sorry, I did't get this up earlier but this week is Bisch's RV Challenge. Throughout the week there are competitors staying in campers without acess to cell phone or showers and every evening they compete in challeneges. Players get elminated throughout the week and the winner gets a new camper. Each evening they have a free barbeque open to the public during the nightly challenege. We went tonight and the dinner was great (hamburgers, philly cheesesteak, steak bites) and the challenege was super fun to watch. They had to milk goats and then drink the milk.

It's worth going over if you have the time. It's through Friday, 5:30 PM dinner starts and the challenge is at 6 PM. Bisch's is just off of Holmes past the Highway.

Dixie's Diner

The other morning we stopped into Dixie's Diner for breakfast. It was such a fun retro place. I had waffles with ice cream on them and a vanilla root beer. It was good and a fun atmosphere, if we go back I think it will be to try some milkshakes or malts.

Smitty's Pancake and Steak House

Smitty's is grandparents favorite place to eat and we had never tried it. We went the other night and saw why. It was a Thursday so it wasn't very busy. The atmosphere seemed quiet and comfortable. We took forever looking over the menu because it was so good and a lot of things sounded good. They had a great breakfast selection but we had things off the dinner menu. I had a steak and my husband had chicken tenders. We also tried a burger that we got off the kids menu for our daughter (we don't usually order anything for her because she doesn't eat much but we were trying to use up a gift card). Everything was good- the dinners come with tons of choices for sides, and I was full by the end of my salad. We got a lot of food for our money, including free desserts that come with anything on the dinner menu.

My husband's favorite part is that everything comes with things on the side rather than on it. The burgers and sandwiches are that way and even the salads had the carrots, tomatoes, and cucumbers all on the side so we could use what we wanted. My grandparents recommend the fish but we didn't try any.

The waitresses were so helpful with our little girl and nobody seemed to mind when she just wanted to walk around our table while we ate.

Rainey Creek, Square Ice Cream in Swan Valley

We lived in Ririe for a little while before we moved to Idaho Falls and people that weren't even from around here would always ask if I had been to Swan Valley for the square ice cream cones. The week we moved from Ririe was my first time and last weekend my husband and I went back with some of his siblings.

The square ice cream is inside a gas station at the split between going to Jackson or going to Driggs, just look for a sign like this and lots of cars.
They have such fun flavor choices I had a birthday cake kind- which doesn't taste like usual cake batter ice cream, it tasted like cake and had pieces of yellow cake mixed in it. It was so good, I also had huckleberry. My husband's two flavors look the same but one is a Rainey Creek Mudslide which had caramel, and some nuts in it and brownie nut.
The prices are as follows:
Single Regular Cone: $2.50
Double Regular Cone: $3.50
Single Waffle Cone: $3.25
Double Waffle Cone: $4.00
Float with root beer, sarsaparilla, or huckleberry soda: $4.75

You can buy huckleberry soda there and I love it. They have a record of people served on holiday weekends and it was tons so I think it would be pretty crazy to go on a holiday. Also, my husband had trouble keepings his top layer from falling off so watch out for that on hot days.

Blackfoot - Potato Museum, Jensen Grove, and A&W

Last Saturday we decided to go down to Blackfoot, Idaho to see the Potato Museum and we ended up doing a lot more than we planned because there were so many fun things to do there.

Our first stop was the Idaho Potato Museum, which is open Monday through Saturday during the summer and Monday through Friday in the winter. It costs $3 for adults. We learned quite a bit about potatoes but there was quite a bit of reading. It would be really fun history for someone that is interested in farming or has a lot of background in the area. If you happen to be from out of state you get free potatoes when you visit.

We then saw a sign for a $1 ice cream cone at the Downtown Bread Company. We stopped and it looked great but was already closed for the day. It closes at 6 on weekdays and 3 on Saturdays.

We missed the turn for Jensen's Grove and happened to pass an A&W, which sounded delicious. Everything looked so good so we had dinner there. We had a cherry limeade, a root beer float, cheeseburger, corn dog bites, and a "Freezerrr". You are probably wondering what a freezerr is, but it's like a milkshake but more icy. It was all good.

At last we made to Jensen's Grove and decided to take a walk around the perimeter of the lake. It was a nice easy walk that lasted about a half hour. Jensen's Grove also have frisbee golf, swimming, play equipment, volleyball nets, and boat docks.

Farr Candy Co. Sets Record - Free Ice Cream Social

Farr's Ice Cream is celebrating it's 100th year in business by trying to break the record for most ice cream scooped in an hour- and giving it away for free. They are having free ice cream downtown Idaho Falls on Constitution Way from 6-8 on Monday, June 20, 2011. We will be there enjoying some free ice cream.

Update: They beat the record! The old record was 3,000 scoops; Farr's goal was 5,000 and they far exceeded it. It was totally crazy there but I don't usually mind a crowd. The baby loved the ice cream and we enjoyed it and a nice walk around downtown.

Outback Steakhouse

This one was unplanned but we had a gift certificate and I had the sudden feeling that nothing at home sounded good for dinner. I thought that it being at Saturday night we would have a long wait ahead of us but not at all. We got seated and served right away. Everything was so good. I had a steak with potatoes and salad, Josh had a bacon burger with french fries, and we shared some wings. Nothing tasted processed at all which made me so happy, the fries and potatoes tasted fresh and homemade. They have two ways of cooking your streak and I choose fire grilled and it was wonderful. Josh was impressed that his hamburger had so much bacon; there really was a lot on there. The cost there is a little higher than most places we go out to eat but I enjoyed it so much.

Applebee's

We had a gift card to Applebees and so we went over last weekend to celebrate Mother's day. It totally wasn't my favorite. If you are looking for a place to get a drink it is probably a good place to go but since we don't drink I was basing it just on the food and I wasn't really impressed with. We got the 2 for $20 deal with an appetizer and two meals. We had enough left on our gift card to get a dessert even. So it was a good deal, we never get appitizers or desserts. The thing I did love was the dessert, they have mini desserts and it was just perfect to end the meal with. We had a chocolate mousse mini dessert and it was really good.

Although I wasn't super impressed with my food the service was good and the atmosphere was pretty upbeat and fun.

Little Caesar's vs. 5 Dollar Pizza

We have been to Little Caesars a lot and of course we go there for the $5 hot and ready pizza, but while we were in Rexburg last Saturday we decided that we should try $5 Pizza on Main Street. We have reasons we like both of them.

At Little Caesars we like the sauce a lot better and it's a little less greasy than the pizza we got at $5 Pizza. We also like that the pizza is ready right when you walk in.

At $5 Pizza the bread was amazing. They also let you pick any topping you want rather than just getting pepperoni and they make it right there. They also have more options that you can get for $5, you can get a large 1 topping or a smaller size with more toppings. They also have the option of getting wings.

Overall, which is better? Well, it depends on what you are looking for at the time. If you want pizza fast and don't mind cheese or pepperoni (or would get that anyway), then maybe Little Caesar's is for you. If you are craving other toppings, but still want the low price, then 5 Dollar pizza might be right for you.

Five Guys Burger and Fries

Saturday night I was craving a good hamburger and for some reason a place I had only been to once before came to mind, Five Guys. It totally hit the spot.

There are a few things that make Five Guys a different kind of burger place. The first thing is as you walk in there is a sign that tells you the local farm that the potatoes are from (Saturday's were from a farm in Shelley, Idaho). Their menu is small and simple: burgers (with double patties), mini burgers (with a single patty), hot dogs, and 2 sizes of fries. You pick what you want and the exact toppings you want on them and they cook it right there while you wait. The wait isn't long and there are peanuts to snack on while you are waiting.

I didn't love the fries but they were ok but the hamburger was so good. I usually don't get hamburgers but mine was so good. The Idaho Falls Five Guys is located off Hitt Road by Edwards Theater and Orange Leaf.

Wallace's Ice Cream and Sandwichs

My husband and I have driven past this place (it's on Sunnyside between Woodruff and Holmes and the left) a million times saying sometime we will have to go there. Last weekend we had my sister-in-law hanging out with us and we decided to go for it. It was so so good. They do sandwiches, pies, ice cream and shakes, and also have local milk, cheese, and eggs that you can buy. We just opted for ice cream.


As you can see the kinds of ice cream here are not like the kinds you would get somewhere else. They have crazy combinations like grasshopper with caramel swirls or marshmellow in a chocolate and peanut butter one. Between the three of us we tried the monster cookie, the huckleberry cheesecake, and the black tie cheesecake- all were wonderful. We highly reccomend going to Wallace's.

Orange Leaf- Frozen Yogurt

Last week we went to the Orange Leaf for frozen yogurt. It is very similar to Kiwi Loco in Idaho Falls and Twizel Berry in Rexburg, with tons of flavor choices and topping choices. The price is $.39 an ounce. Orange Leaf is in the same parking lot at Edwards Theater.

We had a really great time. We tried some flavors that we don't usually like and were very surprised. Usually I don't like chocolate frozen yogurt because it is not very sweet but Orange Leaf had a brownie kind and it was really wonderful. My husband tried some coconut in his and my baby girl had some dairy-free pineapple- both of which were great. The layout was very open and comfortable, our baby wandered freely with some tables and chairs low enough for her to stand next to.

Salt Lake City

Last weekend we went down to Salt Lake to meet up with some of my family so I would like to let you know some of my favorite things to do there.

1. IKEA: I love this store, it has furniture and household items for a pretty good deal but even if you don't need anything plan a few hours (really, it takes this long) to go through. They have a ton of different rooms set up you can wander through and get decorating ideas, they have a kids play place you can drop your kids off while you wander, and they have a cafeteria style restaurant that is super good and reasonably priced. I would go and spend all day there if I could.



2. The church history museum: Across the street from temple square is another place I could spend a lot of time. The exhibits often change but it is often overlooked by people just visiting temple square.

3. LDS Church Welfare building: starting in temple square you can take a free tour where they take you out to the Welfare building and show you the things there, if you have time you can also stay and volunteer a while. Once we helped put together buckets of cleaning supplies that were going to flood areas. It was a really neat experience.

4. Porter's Place: Porter's Place is actually south of Salt Lake on main street in Lehi. I can't speak for all the food here because it is not why I go. They have a bunch of fun (non-alcoholic) mixed drinks with crazy names. They are so good, we usually just get drinks and some scones for a treat. Porter's place is such a fun place with a lot of historical significance (you'll have to go to find out why).

Shelley, Idaho- Mick's and Hidden Treasures

Saturday we got to go down to Shelley to see Josh's sister play in a volleyball game so we took a little time to explore the town. We went to a little diner called Mick's for a treat. It was too early for lunch and we had already had breakfast so we got milkshakes and scones. The milkshakes were great. I had a chocolate cherry milkshake and the scone was wonderful, everything there smelled good.


Then we went to Hidden Treasures. Hidden Treasures has some new things and some antiques and some thrift store stuff. It is a really fun place to go and I wish that I had more time to look, it was a huge warehouse full of stuff, like crammed. If you have a baby I would not take a stroller in because I'm not sure there would be room for it. But if you like to explore things and look at fun furniture this is the place.

Costa Vida

Similar to Cafe Rio and Bajios (which Costa Vida incidentally just bought out), Costa Vida is a fresh mexican style restaurant. I'm not sure what the official name for this kind of place is but it's fast food, high quality.

The menu is pretty simple- a few different kinds of meats and you can choose to have it as a burrito, a quesadilla, tacos, enchiladas, nachos, or as a salad.

Usually I think places like this are just so, so, but Costa Vida serves up a few things that I really love. First is the sweet pork- I have a recipe to make this at home and it is one of my favorite meals to make. Even if you don't usually like pork it's worth a try. When we went last weekend I decided to try something I had never had before: the Raspberry Chicken. It was super good. I had it in a quesadilla and loved every bite. My husband had a shredded beef burrito and it was good but to me tasted almost exactly like similar restaurants.

Costa Vida is now open in Rexburg (by Deseret Book) and will soon be open in Idaho Falls (on Hitt Road)- I recommend it, but, a little bit of warning, they charge extra for sour cream and other little extras.

Birthday Weekend Extravaganza!- free things for your birthday

Last week was the husband's birthday so we did a weekend full of stuff that we got discounts for because we signed up for birthday emails and such. It was really fun to get to do all sorts of things on the cheap. Here are a bunch of ones I know about. If you don't like your inbox getting cluttered you can get a different email address to use just for mailing lists, just make sure to check it every once in a while for discounts.

Red Robin: if you sign up for their email list you get a free burger when you sign up and also one on your birthday. The coupon that you print is good for a week before and a week after your birthday. If you go on your actual birthday you will also get a free ice cream sundae.

Cold Stone Creamery: On your birthday (if you sign up on their website) you will get a free 'like it' size with one mix in.

IHOP: again with the email, with their coupon you get a free Rootie Tootie breakfast or something of equal or lesser value. My husband said that although it didn't look like much theh Rootie Tootie filled him up.

Denny's: Free grand slam on your birthday- no sign up required, just prove it is your birthday. (I'm not 100% sure on that, you could sign up for the email club just in case)

Arby's: email club, you get a shake- but you have to buy something else when you go to get your shake

Old Navy: when you sign up for their email club you get $10 off when you spend $50, on your birthday you get the same deal

Kmart: only kids can get this deal but if you sign up for their emails and input your kids birthdays they will get $5 to spend at Kmart for their birthday

Krispy Kreme: most locations give you a free dozen dougnuts on your birthday, you can call ahead to double check, but no email needed

Noodles and Company: with the email you get a free noodle bowl

Texas Roadhouse: with email you get free appetizer or a sidekick of ribs

If you have any other favorite place to eat or shop check online ahead of time and see if they have an email club it is pretty set that you will get something for your birthday. Happy Birthday everyone!